Patent Troll Targets Samsung and RIM With Emoticon Button Patent 44
eldavojohn writes "Apparently the Samsung and Apple patent hoedown has received some uninvited guests that wish to troll with the big trolls — all over a built-in button for an emoticon. According to Varia Holdings (don't bother googling, you won't find anyone trying to license their patents to you) 'by asserting [its European] emoticon patent against Apple, Samsung has recognized the value of the type of invention embodied in [Varia's] '731 Patent.' And, thusly, Varia feels this provides grounds to sue Samsung and RIM. Techdirt provides commentary on the obviousness of said patent while raking the USPTO examiner over the coals (although, curiously, gives Samsung a free pass)."
Re:Possibly less emoticons? (Score:1, Insightful)
Don't you mean "could care less"?
Re:Possibly less emoticons? (Score:0, Insightful)
Re:found "One-click emoticon" prior art (Score:5, Insightful)
First to patent, it is becoming blatantly obvious that a performance based for profit USPTO, does not give a crap. Their only check now, is it patented, no, approve the patent. Straight up coprruption of the patent system by the US government, establishing a system where the US profits by the most indefensible patents.
First patent fee, then based up approval of bogus patent, guaranteed legal challenges. All those legal attacks and defences to be fought at in US courts, by US lawyers, bleeding foreign corporations dry spending hundreds of millions of dollars upon blatant in your face corporate driven corruption of US government agencies.
It is obvious that US patent lawyers have got deeply involved in how the USPTO, managed and run, in how patents are approved and basically guaranteed a muli-million dollar patent litigation industry.
It is pretty obvious that the US administration is the one that needs to be hauled into court and held financially accountable, penalties and damages, resulting from bad patent approvals.
Re:Heavily Slanted Bias (Score:4, Insightful)
I sense that someone REALLY hates patent trolls.
Yeah, it's probably a lot more biased than it needs to be.
But as for hating patent trolIs, are there many people who actually like them? Obviously some lawyers because it keeps them employed, but other than that? And is there anyone who tries to make a case that they are somehow beneficial to society? (serious questions BTW. I've never heard any argument in support of this practice)